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Metrol
Metrol, called the Rising City, is the former capital of Galifar and of Cyre, once a great metropolis standing beside the Cyre River on the kingdom's eastern border, and now a ruined city lying on the eastern boundary of the Mournland. History Once, all of Cyre was known as "Metrol", until the realm was renamed in 32 YK for its then ruler, Cyre, a scion of King Galifar ir'Wynarn I. It was once the capital of all Galifar. A cabal of insane sorcerers who revered a group of gibbering mouthers was once based in Metrol itself. They were destroyed decades ago by Vashkal the Black, an orc mystagogue of the Gatekeepers. In 994 YK, weeks before the Mourning, Metrol itself was threatened by Karrnathi armies. At this time, the first warforged colossus was produced and swiftly sent north to reinforce the capital. On the Day of Mourning on 20 Olarune, 994 YK, according to eyewitness reports of those who got out of the city in time, the dead-gray mists of the Mournland billowed out of the royal palaces of Vermishard and blanketed the unprepared city of Metrol. It fell swiftly, and from there the mists engulfed the whole of Cyre, causing the annihilation of the realm. This seems to be the mists' first appearance, leading some to theorize Metrol was the source and center of the Mourning, yet others placed it in Making. Queen Dannel ir'Wynarn is presumed to have died in Metrol. In the aftermath, magebred humanoids escaped from Clifftop arrived in Metrol and occupied the government buildings and other key areas, including the royal palaces of Vermishard. Over the next few years, they excavated tunnels linking Metrol and Clifftop and gave the ruins the appearance of being haunted. Recently, in 998 YK, it's been reported that powerful "restless spirits" (or living humanoids to a few witnesses) emerged from the Mournland near Metrol and raided camps and small settlements in the lands just outside, in Karrnath and the Talenta Plains, kidnapping folk and leaving few survivors. Description Many buildings in Metrol sit upon towering, sky-scraping columns of stone, for which it was known as the Rising City. The city's beauty survived only in the hearts and memories of the surviving Cyrans. After the Mourning, some parts survived with just superficial damage, even seeming untouched, and look a lot like they did before the Mourning, bar the ever-present dead-gray mists and the emptiness. But many other wards are shattered, with buildings knocked over and crushed. Notable locations in old Metrol include: * The royal palaces of Vemishard, seven in number, including Royal Vermishard, which was orbited by floating gardens; * The Cathedral on the Hill, also called the Cathedral of the Sovereign Host, dedicated to the Sovereign Host and the center of worship for its followers; * The Metrol Arena, a wondrous place where games, competitions, celebrations, and performances were held; * The Vault, nicknamed the "golden palace", both mint and treasury for Galifar, housing treasures of the realm too valuable to be put on display; and * The lightning rail station, once the gateway to the west; These are thought to remain wholly or mostly intact in the ruined city. There was once a House Cannith workshop there and House Phiarlan's Demesne of Shadow was based in Metrol (but was reestablished in Sharn after the Mourning). Curiously, the Mourning seems to have wreaked geographical damage as well. A good number of Metrol's structures have apparently been relocated, rearranged, or even rotated, even while they remain intact. Entire city blocks have been found miles away or to have turned 90° from where they are on pre-war maps. The lightning rail station remains undiscovered. The streets are quiet and empty during the day, but are filled with violence and havoc at night when the ghostbeasts, misshapen monsters, and other creatures emerge, prowling and howling and killing those they catch. The warforged colossus WX-5, "Norr", still operational, sits slumped amid the ruins of Metrol, near one of the towering stone pillars. The River Melandor and Starmantle Bay run right through the city. Inhabitants "Ghostbeasts" wander the city at nights. These ghostbeasts are described by scavengers as being vaguely humanoid, with hairless, translucent skin. They apparently glow, as with a pale, internal light. Some scavengers believed they are ghosts of slain citizens, others that they are guardian spirits placed by the Cyran royal family to defend the city, and the rest didn't care, just trying to slay them if they crossed paths, for the ghostbeasts slaughtered those they caught out after dark. In fact, unknown to most, the ruined city is inhabited by a secret order of magebred humanoids based in the royal places of Vermishard and perpetuating the myth of these spirits. The magebred are led by the self-proclaimed Empress Donata and have a small feudal society based on some notion of superiority. The Mournland scavengers either stay well away from Metrol, or else venture in to loot it of lost wealth. They're increasingly common here, at least in daylight. It's an enticing place for adventurers, explorers, and fortune hunters alike, owing to its former status as capital of Cyre and a once great city of the Kingdom of Galifar, the bounty of riches once held there, and the chance to uncover the cause of the Mourning. In particular, the Ikar's Salvage band focus their attentions on Metrol's outskirts, and have been the only group to have any fortune here, but won't speak of how they've been so successful. No other living creatures dare dwell here. Interest Even the powerful cannot resist the lure. Recently, as of 998 YK, King Kaius III of Karrnath proposed to House Orien, House Ghallanda, and Prince Oargev ir'Wynarn of New Cyre a joint project to re-open the lightning rail running from the east into Metrol. After all, with three Orien lightning rail lines meeting in Metrol, the city was once the crossroads of Khorvaire and the gateway to the west, so its loss was enormous just to House Orien. To this end, the four parties combined are offering bounties for information on the status of the lightning rail station and the Orien guildhall. However, the station, if it still exists, seems to have been displaced from its original location, making it difficult for seekers to find. While House Orien believes that the Cyre lines are still intact, they haven't dared try to run a commercial coach on them. Indeed, some explorers report that a lot of conductor stones have been stolen, leaving gaps so large that coaches will be derailed. The twisted geography of the ruins has sparked increased interest in discovering the cause of the Mourning, or at least how it occurred in Metrol. Appendix See Also * Metrol (warforged) References category:Geography category:Khorvaire category:Cyre Category:The Mournland Category:Cities